Hamas said that Gaza would be a “curse” for Israel, warning that its invading soldiers would go home “in black bags”, AFP reports.

“Gaza will be the curse of history for Israel,” said Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades in an audio address, adding that Israel could expect “more of your soldiers to return in black bags”.

Israel’s army has said that its forces have encircled the Hamas stronghold of Gaza City following days of expanding ground operations in the besieged Palestinian territory.

According to AFP, military spokesman Daniel Hagari said that troops had “completed the encirclement of Gaza City".

Chile’s Boric raises concerns over Israeli bombardment of Gaza with Biden

Chilean President Gabriel Boric, who this week condemned Israeli military’s air bombardment of Gaza and recalled his envoy to Israel, said that he told US President Joe Biden that Israel’s actions were violating international law.

“These Hamas attacks are without justification, they deserve global condemnation, but the response by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government also deserves our clearest condemnation,” he was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying, after his meeting with Biden at the White House.

“There’s no doubt we can say the response has been disproportionate and is violating international humanitarian law,” he said.

“The right of a state to defend itself has limits, and those limits imply respecting the lives of innocent civilians, especially children, and respecting civil humanitarian law.”

Asked about Biden’s response, Boric said it was not his place to speak for the American president.

Lebanese for and against expanding war hold their breath for Hezbollah chief’s speech

For years, Hezbollah chief Nasrallah has boasted that his group’s weapons could reach deep into Israeli territory, AFP reports.

“Each side is carefully measuring its actions and reactions to avoid a situation that may spin out of control and spread to the region,” said Michael Young from the Carnegie Middle East Center.

But if Hezbollah fully entered the war, “Lebanon’s devastation would turn most communities, perhaps even large segments of the Shia community”, against it, he warned last week.

“We are waiting impatiently… We hope he will announce war on the Israeli enemy and the Western countries that support it,” said Ahed Madi, 43, from the border town of Shebaa.

Rabih Awad, 41, from the southern town of Rashaya al-Fokhar, said a new war between Hezbollah and Israel “would be a death blow for Lebanon”, which is grappling with a crushing economic crisis.

“I am against the war of extermination on the Palestinians in Gaza,” he told AFP. “But the decision to go to war must be taken by the Lebanese state, not a party or a militia.”

US drones for hostages

The United States has been flying surveillance drones over Gaza in search of hostages taken by Hamas when the Palestinian militant group attacked Israel on October 7, two U.S. officials said on Thursday.

The two U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the U.S was flying intelligence gathering drones over Gaza to assist with hostage location efforts. One of the officials said they had been carrying out the drone flights for over a week.

U.S. officials have said 10 Americans who remain unaccounted for may be among the more than 200 people taken as hostages into Gaza, where they are believed to be held in Hamas' extensive tunnel network.

Two Palestinian members of the Jenin Brigades were killed early Friday in an Israeli military raid on the refugee camp in the West Bank city, according to official Palestinian news agency, Wafa.

The report also said that the Israeli operation included an aerial attack.

Death toll

Killed in Gaza 9,061 - According to Hamas-run Health Ministry

Killed in Israel - Over 1,400 including 335 IDF soldiers and 242 hostages

U.S. House passes controversial Israel aid standalone bill

The U.S. House passed a highly politicized bill providing $14.3 billion in emergency assistance to Israel on Thursday, setting up a clash with the White House and the Senate.

The White House, as well as both Senate Democrats and Republicans, want the Israel aid to be packaged with Ukraine, though the House GOP and newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson opted to split the two over rising skepticism within the Republican caucus.

The House bill further attracted criticism because it offset the cost for the Israel aid by rescinding the same amount of funding for the IRS — a move that would dramatically add to the deficit and result in nearly $27 billion in lost revenue over the next 10 years.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has vowed the Senate will not consider the "deeply flawed proposal," setting up a dramatic clash ahead of the November 17 deadline to fund the government ahead of a shutdown.

The vote passed 226-196, with 12 Democrats and two Republicans bucking party lines. Eight Democrats and five Republicans opted not to vote.

Iran's Khamenei posts Hebrew-langauge warning to Israelis

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei posted in Hebrew on social media platform X asking Israelis that their government is lying to them “and it is also lying when it expressed concern about its prisoners with the Palestinians.”

The post is a translated version of one that went online on Wednesday, in which Khamenei said that “the Zionist regime has become desperate and confused.” In a separate post, he said that “the Zionist regime will be crippled within days without the help of the U.S.”